Pointe du Ra (also Cape Ra ; French pointe du Raz [ʁɑ] , bret. Beg ar Raz ) is one of the capes on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean , often called the Iruaz Sea , located between the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay . The cape is located on the territory of the Plogof commune of the Finister Department . Although the Pointe du Ra is located three minutes east of Cape Pointe de Corsan , it is a significant tourist attraction due to the more attractive landscape, including cliffs up to 70 m high.
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In 2004, the cape was assigned to the Most Important Sights of France ( French Label Grand Site de France ).
On the east side, the Cape Trepase adjoins the cape, which is very popular among fans of surfing Brittany .
Name Etymology
Raz means both Breton and French for “rapid current” and comes from the Scandinavian languages. The word fell into the French language during the Viking attacks on Normandy and is cognate with the English race - "race".
Lighthouses
The Ra-Du-Sen Strait between the cape and the island to the west of it ( Ile-de-Seine ) from ancient times was considered dangerous for navigation at night and with poor visibility due to strong currents. The lighthouses installed on the island and on the cape, after improving the lighting system and optics of the lighthouses in the early 19th century, were rebuilt. In 1826, the government lighthouse commission included a lighthouse on the cape in the planned network of new lighthouses of primary importance. A lighthouse 18 meters high was built in 1839. At the same time, the Great Lighthouse of Ильle-de-Seine was built. In 1887, the lighthouse stopped working, as the Vieille lighthouse , located on a rock near the cape, was put into operation. In 1870, an additional lighthouse was put into operation on the northeastern slope of the cape, also decommissioned in 1887. From 1869 to 1874, the Tevenenek lighthouse was built on a rock in the strait. Until 1910, the caretaker lived in the lighthouse building, then the lighthouse was switched to fully automatic mode.